Being A Little Progressive Never Hurt
by BlackjackCF
Summary: Edit: After Meteor, Reno, Rude, and Elena decide to be a little more progressive and try to get jobs. Reeve finds that there are people who are trying to reestablish a company very much like ShinRa. Soon, the three get caught up in all this. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Progressive?**

Six figures stood in the night, barely visible. If anyone had been watching them from many yards away, they would've seen absolutely nothing. All but one of them were dressed in blue tuxes and dark sunglasses.

"001, you see anything?"

"Nope, all clear."

"002?"

"Clear."

"003?"

"Fine out here."

"004?"

"Cool."

"005?"

Silence followed.

"005?"

"Aww shit, I think we lost him," Goard sighed, looking around. He lazily scratched his shaved, light brown haired head. "Damn… that guy's always drunk 'neways."

"His name's Reno."

Everyone turned to look at the only brown skinned man there. He was well… huge. He was a taciturn man of six feet some, could probably take down a football player, and spoke only when needed.

"Who the hell cares? He's just a goddamned drunk of all…" Goard began again, but was silenced immediately as their leader hit him gently on the shoulder.

The Asian man looked at Goard. He was the only one in a black suit. "I prefer, Goard, that you don't speak of your own colleague like that… he is one of the best men on this crew—"

"Hey guys! Didja miss me!"

In the faint light, a sudden figure with flaming red hair popped out from nowhere. Immediately, the air reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

"AHH SHIT!"

Goard gave a cry as Reno jabbed him sharply in the behind with his electrified nightstick. Everyone was about to laugh, but managed to catch their giggles and muffled them into coughs.

"Goard, shut up," Tseng whirled around to face the man. In a softer and yet more deadly voice, he said to Reno, "Reno. I told you not to sneak off."

There was a sound of shaking in the quiet night. Reno had a pack of cigarettes but couldn't fish one out. When he finally managed to do so, from his back pocket, he retrieved a cigarette lighter. He managed to light it and it illuminated the place.

Suddenly, the fire went out. "Aww… Tseng…" Reno whined, as his lighter was snatched away. "A smoke never hurt anyone…"

Tseng sighed. "Damn it, Reno! Our enemies are everywhere! If we get caught now… without the support of ShinRa…"

"What the hell are we Turks anyways, Tseng? We just did the dirty jobs for ShinRa. We all need a new life now… now that they're gone. I mean we could all get a job…" Reno said.

Elena snorted loudly. "You of all people… get a job? Be serious for once, Reno…"

Reno crunched his pack of cigarettes and flung them into the night. "I do. I want to do something progressive… for once…"

Jaine shrugged, her long blone hair moving with her shoulders, though no one could see it. Her long pale white face screwed up into an expression that wasn't very appropriate. "Reno… Elena's right. Be real. You ran away at twelve, you began smoking at thirteen, you joined a gang two months later… you shoplifted about a million times, killed your first guy at fourteen… and raped a girl later that year… and the list goes on. Then you joined the Turks at sixteen… for god sakes Reno… you've been doing this for how long? Twelve years of your life. You call that progressive? Things aren't going to change in a few minutes, Reno."

The red haired man sighed and drooped. "There's always a time to start…"

Rude was glad that he had dark shades on so that no one could see the surprised look on his face. He had always seen Reno wear those convictions like a badge. Now he was ashamed of them? It wasn't like Reno to throw out the badge of "honor" to replace it with the badge of shame. Reno always took the easier path in life… to be lazy… do drugs… sex… have fun… do horrible things… and be proud of it. He'd never seen this new Reno. And what surprised him most was that he had thrown out a perfectly good pack of cigarettes.

"Damn… never thought I'd hear those words outta you, Reno…" Lorn chuckled softly.

He had perhaps the strangest hair color other than Reno… he had a bushel of green. He was an average man of about five-foot nine. His facial features revealed that he was of Hispanic origin. He looked normal… but he sure wasn't normal. He could dismantle a bomb with his eyes closed in a matter of seconds, could hack into any computer system (no matter how high the security was), and could do all sorts of amazing things. He was no ordinary criminal mastermind though… in his spare time he liked to write poetry and music… and went to admire the art at an art museum every chance he got.

"Shut up, Greeny." Reno said, calling Lorn by his nickname.

"No… I'm being serious," "Greeny" smirked. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we could do something progressive."

"Yeah… it's not to hard for _you_. I mean everyone would want to hire _you_. But what would we do? Janitorial work? It's all we're qualified _for_. We got like… seventh grade education." Goard had a dejected tone, for he had been an orphan all his life. His father had died of a drug overdose a few months before he was born, and his mother died shortly after childbirth. He couldn't help but being negative at times.

"Goard, stop being such a pessimistic ass and listen. We all know our letters and we're all intelligent. Plus, we still got connections other than ShinRa. And best of all, we're trained to kill," Reno grinned when he said this. "Hell, we can be hired killers, mercenaries, assassins, monster exterminators… I dunno… anything up for hire in that line of business. But I know we can do it… come on guys… we're the Turks for the Cetras' sakes. We're trained to be ready… right?"

Elena smiled in the dark. "Nice speech, Reno. Never thought you had it in you." She paused. "Why don't you become a speechmaker?" her smile became cynical.

Reno kicked the dirt underneath him. He grabbed the sunglasses that were on his forehead, and tugged them out. He stared at them for a long time. "You guys don't believe me… fine. Pssh… I'll show you all. Tseng… give it up. It's over… it's all just a dream… right from the start. Hell they wanted the best. They got criminals. There's no such thing as the Turks."

With that, he threw down his sunglasses and began walking away, leaving dust behind him.

Rude stared at Reno for a long time, then went to follow the red headed man. He wasn't going to let Reno just leave by himself. It was practically a rule… Rude and Reno… always together.

"Aww Rude… are you actually _going_ with that loser?" Goard asked.

"Yeah," Rude replied in his deep voice. "All of you should come too. Reno's got the right idea this time… maybe he'll even go the right path. I'm followin' along 'cause it's right. You all can stay here and rot if you want. Tseng… Reno's right… the Turks are no more. Face it."

Everyone gawked at Rude, who turned away and began walking. That was probably the most words that he had ever said in a sitting.

Reno smiled in the darkness. He knew that he had made quite an impression on the others. He wasn't sure why he wanted to do something so badly… maybe it was just in his blood.

He snorted. In his blood? What had he inherited from his mother and father? The love of doing crack and drinking?

From his left pocket, he produced another cigarette pack. It was a little crunched up from lack of use, and he seized a cigarette, and took out a backup lighter from his other back pocket. He smirked.

_It's never bad to have extras._ He thought to himself as he lit the cigarette and promptly stuck it into his mouth.

He put the lighter away, then puffed out, the cigarette clenched tightly between his teeth.

"Reno, wait up."

His smile grew wide. "So you decided to come along with me, Rude?"

"Yeah."

Rude hid a grin when he saw Reno's cigarette light up as the red haired man inhaled deeply. _Somethings never change._ Rude thought, not surprised at all. "Now, Reno… why am I not surprised to see you smoking backups?"

Reno shrugged. "'Guess you know me too well, Rude."

"Hey! Wait up, guys!"

"Whoa! Elena, _you_ decided to come along too?" the smoking man's eyes grew wide.

The blonde woman sighed and shrugged. "Well… I thought about what you said… and I guess you're right. I didn't want to sit on my ass waiting for something to come… anyways… we're a team right? During the time we fought AVALANCHE we always fought them together…"

_Yeah… and you blurted to them all of our plans._ Reno thought darkly. "Hey… you know what? I shouldn't have thrown out those cigarettes… they were perfectly good. Now I have to risk my butt to go back to civilization and buy some extra packs."

Elena rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible, Reno."

And there it was… the trio was back in action.

* * *

Wow... the first chapter of the first fanfic about the Turks I've ever written. Cool. Thanks to everyone who read this and decided to review! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Grassy er… and Yet Foresty Place**

The gentle rays of the morning sun shone on the three Turks' (ex-Turks') faces. Each of them wearily looked up, for they had been walking towards the nearest town they could find, all night long.

Reno held up a blue sleeve and mopped away the mound of sweat that built up right under his bangs. He looked down at his damp sleeve for a minute and continued walking, his electrified nightstick hanging on his belt.

"I wish we had brought some supplies… and I wish I had my sunglasses…" Reno sighed, holding up a hand to block out the sun's bright summer rays.

Both Rude and Elena ignored him. He had been whining about being hungry and tired all night.

"Anybody even given a thought to where we're going?" Elena asked, looking over at Reno. "_Before_ they started whining about supplies and sunglasses?"

The red haired man gave her a dark look. "Yes! I do know where we're going!" he said indignantly, straightening immediately. "And for your information, we're almost there!" _I hope…_ he added in his thoughts. _Where _are_ we going?_

Elena and Rude both exchanged looks. From Reno answer, they both came to the conclusion that he had no idea where the hell he was going and that they were desperately lost.

_Great… just great. We're stuck in the middle of nowhere and we have no supplies. Now just how the hell are we going to get out of this one? _Elena thought. _And I thought _I'm_ supposed to be the blonde one?_

Reno looked around. Ok. Foresty. That didn't help. Everywhere had 'foresty' places. _Think dammit, Reno! You've been stuck in the middle of Corel Desert Prison and you still managed to get out!_

_Umm… anything other than foresty? _He asked himself, looking around on the ground. _Er… grassy… why isn't my brain working correctly! Everywhere has grass! Hmm… this place does look awfully like… somewhere…_

He tapped his head angrily. He must have been drunk that night when he came around here…

He was just about to give up and say. "Hey uhh guys… we're lost." But he stopped when he saw the top of a building far off in the distance. A smile spread across his dry cracked lips. His good moment was cut short when his lips split and began bleeding.

He wiped away some of the coppery red tasting liquid away with his sleeve and continued on walking. He was tempted to yell "See! See! I've led us to civilization! I _do_ know where I'm going!"

Elena's eyes widened as she saw the buildings far away. Reno _actually knew where he was going!_

_It's got to be pure Cetra-damned luck._

As they came closer, Reno almost jumped in realization where they were. It was a little town that had been burned down a few years ago… memories emerged of a raven-haired man and his best friend, a man with blonde hair…

"NIBELHEIM!" he cried aloud, groaning. Both Elena and Rude both looked at him, then at each other. He quickly added, "I mean uh… yeah… haha… Nibelheim…"

Rude sighed in exasperation and slapped his forehead almost comically. "Oh my f---in…" he muttered under his breath.

"Hey… ain't that where that guy… Cloud lives? With that chick?" Reno asked.

"Which one? The one in that pink dress who's flowers you stepped on or…" Elena was cut off by the red-haired man.

"The one with the nice bod." He said, grinning devilishly. "Tifa."

Elena rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. "Glad you remembered her name… or rather… he shape."

Reno's eyes twinkled and he stuck out his tongue. "You're just jealous 'cause her figure's better than yours."

The blonde Turk whirled around to face him, her deep blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Care to repeat that?"

Rude hid a smile and cleared his throat. "Umm… erhem… we're almost in Nibelheim." He said, quickly cutting in, careful to extricate himself from the argument. "Come on, guys."

Reno seemed to have already forgotten about what they were arguing over and shrugged it off. "Hey… you think those landslide guys are still there? I'm not about to go in and have them kick my ass again."

The bald Turk chuckled softly to himself. "Landslide?" he muttered. "You mean AVALANCHE?"

Reno, who was twirling his nightstick in his hand, winced and dropped it. "Yeah, them."

"Awww… poor poor Weno's afwaid of big mean AVALANCHE?" the female Turk teased, which caused Reno to turn as red as his hair.

"Shut up. You're just b----y because you can't snag any guy since your figure is about as flat as a man's."

In the distance there was a loud slapping noise, and a yelp of pain that followed.

-----

She crouched low behind the trees, covered in the shade. She watched as the female Turk slapped the red-haired one. She quietly fitted on her gauntlets, and stood up, as stealthy as a ninja.

Her face had curved into a rare smile when Reno talked about "the girl with the nice bod". _Turks. _She thought to herself, sighing quietly and shaking her head.

She wondered whether or not to charge out right now and beat the crap out of all the Turks. After all, she was hired to keep out trespassers and "suspicious persons."

_Who the hell calls them persons anyways?_ She wondered to herself, as she watched the Turks distance themselves from her. _Oh well… better go._

She ran among the trees quickly and lightly, careful not to step on any dry leaf or branch that would show where she was. She could just get back to Nibelheim and get reinforcements… or Cloud…

Her thoughts strayed to the handsome blonde man, her best friend, but she quickly cut him out. _NO! You can handle a bunch of goof-offs like this alone, girl! People will laugh at you if you ask for backup to fight them._

"Ahh well… all in a day's work." She whispered to herself and leapt out of her hiding spot.

* * *

Sorry for the late update! This chappie's a little short... and I'm working to make the next chappie longer! Thanks to Ryu the Youkai and xCR1MS0N-T3ARSx for reviewing for the last chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

**LOL... this chapter has 2005 words... pure irony isn't it?**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Hungry and Thirsty Travelers**

"… where the hell do you think we'll get the funds for this, man? We're not just going to go around pulling money out of our a—es!" the man with dark shades yelled.

A toy cat, hanging from right outside the window on a stuffed mog, shifted uneasily. He looked up. He was hanging down from a hook attached to the top of the building's roof. A rope connected to his suit kept him hanging. He had been straining to hear the conversation for the last half-hour.

He had been assigned this mission by Reeve. He had heard rumors about a secret group that had been planning to establish an empire, one almost exactly like ShinRa.

There were two men who sat at a table. One who was probably very powerful and rich… and the other was a man who was well connected. Next to them were their bodyguards.

Reeve furrowed his brows in frustration. They had been discussing something that cost a lot of money, but they never mentioned what. Probably a precaution just in case there were eavesdroppers like him.

_Damn… just one hint. Please… just drop one little hint._ Reeve prayed to the Cetra as he watched and listened to the conversation from a camera that were embedded in Cait Sith's ears.

"Calm down. Don't you worry about the money… I'll handle that part of the job. You just keep me supplied with all the information. And while you're at it… fetch me a useful team of people that are well connected."

"How about the Turks?"

"Ahh… they sound good… but one problem… how are you going to find them? They've gone in hiding ever since he downfall of ShinRa."

"No worries, I'll track them down in less than a month."

"Good… contact me when you've got them… and have them willing to work for me."

One of the bodyguards whispered something into the rich man's ear. The man looked up, smiling. "I know already. I was waiting for you to tell me. I knew since the meeting started."

"What's going on?" the other man inquired.

"Well… there's an eavesdropper hangin' right out our window. I'm not sure what the hell it is… but it's got to be pretty damn stealthy."

"SHIT!" Reeve yelled back in his office, on Cait Sith's remote, he hurriedly punched the self-destruct button.

The toy cat hanging outside the window, suddenly blew up into smithereens, leaving no trace of it behind.

Reeve watched as his computer's monitor, which had been connected to Cait Sith's camera, fizzle up into a screen of gray. He watched it for a while, and then sighed, smoothing his hand through his hair. He needed to find the Turks before he did… and find out what the hell those two men were up to. They had somehow been connected with ShinRa in the past… but he wasn't sure how.

Maybe he could get AVALANCHE to help him out. _Damn… and they all just got over Meteor…_ _sorry guys…_ He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

-----

Reno didn't even have a chance to look up before Tifa let off a kick at his face and sent him flying. Then she dove forward and shudo-chopped Rude in the face and sent him to the ground, groaning. Elena looked at both of her fallen friends and looked back at Tifa.

"What are you staring at, Elena! Kick her ass already!" Reno called, getting up and rubbing at his throbbing jaw. "Ooh… this is going to swell…"

'You don't stand a chance, Turk," Tifa said, her voice cold. "So kindly drop your weapon, relax, and raise your arms… and no harm will be done to you."

Elena unloaded the gun and dropped it to the ground. She couldn't relax but she did raise her arms slowly over her head.

"Very good." Tifa turned back to Reno and Rude. "Tell your companions to do so."

"Aww… Tifa… we're all old friends aren't we? Can't you just let us off? We're just a bunch of hungry and thirsty travelers!" Reno got up, and dropped his electrified nightstick to the ground. "Happy?"

She stared back at the red haired man. What the hell did he mean by hungry and thirsty travelers? She knew that the Turks had been out on the run ever since ShinRa's downfall. Reno was right… they did look hungry and thirsty. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Reno raised his head to make a point, but Tifa tensed up. "Uhh… we're not Turks anymore… just to let you know. We quit. No joke."

The corner of Tifa's mouth twitched ever so slightly. "And what would a trio of _ex-Turks_ be doing, walking out in broad daylight toward Nibelheim… knowing that they would be in danger?"

Rude looked sideways at Reno. The red-haired man was giving one of his angel looks. He sighed, no matter how innocent he looked, there would be no halo over his head. "We're just innocent travelers, looking for some food." Reno said in the lightest voice possible.

Tifa's mouth twitched again, this time faster. "_Uh huh_… _sure_," she looked cynical. "'Remind me that if I ever want to hear bulls--- I can just come to you."

"I'm guessing that you still haven't forgiven us for bombing Sector 7's Tower?" Reno asked. "Tifa… you know that only a few died in that…"

The chestnut haired woman's eyes flashed. No, she had not forgiven them for bombing Sector 7. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie had all died during that one incident. No matter how small the casualty count that was… they were good friends of hers. Her fists clenched and her gloves squeaked.

"_A few died in that_? _You killed my friends_!" she spat, her eyes beginning to burn. "_You_ _destroyed my bar! And you destroyed people's homes! YOU BLAMED IT ALL ON AVALANCHE_!"

Reno sighed. Ok… maybe that wasn't a good tactic to use to persuade Tifa to not kick the crap outta them. _Uhh… try another tactic…_ he thought wildly to himself. _But what? The pity thing didn't work… the thing about Sector 7 didn't work… maybe my past? _"Tifa… just… calm down… we're not here to do anything to harm anyone. Anything that we did in the past… it was to… make a living.

"I wasn't raised the right way… my mom died when she gave birth to me… and my dad was an alcoholic and he beat me… so I ran away when I was twelve. I joined a bunch of thugs and they were my family… sort of.

"Ok… so maybe it wasn't the smartest thing to do… but what could I do? I wanted love… and I thought I had it when I joined them. I mean… does a child that was beaten most of his life know any better? I know I didn't get any better as I got older… and I couldn't get a decent job anyways. I mean… here I was… a guy who was barely sixteen… convicted plenty of times for theft and many other things that I don't want to mention… and looking for a job. Who in the right mind would hire a delinquent like me?

"Anyways most of the thugs I had hung out with were either killed or in jail… so I was pretty much alone again. I was lookin' for a job, but no one would accept me because of my past. What happened was that Tseng, who was looking for new recruits that had experience in the streets, heard about me. Hired a few guys to knock me out and take me over to ShinRa and give me a job offer. He didn't give me much of a choice… it was either that I join the Turks or get the crap kicked out of me and go back to the streets. They gave me ten minutes to think about it.

"So I thought, ok… this job pays pretty damn good and most of the jobs I can handle. Anyways… they'll welcome me… most of them have a criminal record too. It sounded like a pretty good deal. I would be embraced into another family. I didn't have to think it over too much. I took the job almost immediately."

Tifa searched Reno's face for any sign of a lie, but his eyes showed nothing and his eyes did not wander as a liar's would. But she would not be relenting. "I don't want an autobiography Reno. You still did the things you did. Your actions are still on your head… those people's blood and stained on your hands. You had a choice… you could have betrayed the Turks and allow the people to go. And don't tell me that the damn job was a good paying because money is not worth a person's life!"

Elena sagged with relief. She saw Tifa's eyes soften a bit as Reno gave his little speech. She thanked the Cetra above, whether or not they were listening, that Reno was a fast talker. _Sometimes I think you're just an annoying little bastard Reno… but it's a good thing that you can get people's pity._

Reno stayed silent. Elena decided to speak up. "I know what we did was wrong, Tifa, but look… we've changed. We're not here to hurt anyone. We're here to change. We want to live a productive life rather than the one that we… used to live."

_Just keep talkin' to stay alive._ Rude thought and smiled slightly. He finally decided to speak. "Tifa, you can choose to believe us or not."

She looked from Elena to Reno and then to Rude. All of them actually sounded like they were telling the truth. She didn't know what to do. Her mind raced. She still held a grudge for them for Sector 7… but they had not been the cause of the death of Aeris or her father and the burning of her town… "… I'm not allowed to let in any people who are dangerous. I'll have to turn you over to the jailhouse for the guards to inspect you. Oh… and you may not enter with your weapons. You're going to have to hand them to me. If the entrance guards see you with them, they're not going to let you in."

"Tightened up security a bit, I see." Reno said. "I don't ever recall Nibelheim having entrance guards and jailhouses!"

Tifa set her jaw. "Don't think I'm letting you off. And yes… we did tighten up security because there has been a lot of monsters around lately… and… because of people like _you_."

"So uh… what happened to err… Cloud and that big guy? Barret? Oh… and the guy who cusses a lot… Cid? What about that stuffed animal and that red thing? Or that guy with the red eyes and the girl who is crazy with that Conformer?" Reno asked.

Rude nearly slapped himself. Reno's gift of speech might be a blessing at times… and a curse… especially since he was having an idle chat with their former enemies.

Tifa's mood darkened when Reno mentioned her old friends. Especially Cloud. He had been working with Tifa to make her new bar… and was also a monster hunter. They had been living together for a while, but Cloud was different almost everyday. Sometimes, he would be extremely close… closer than friends would normally be… and sometimes… he would be very distant, usually found glancing off in the distance. Tifa had a slight suspicion that during these periods, he was thinking about Aeris.

She began to walk away, setting a fast pace that was hard to catch up to. Reno stumbled forward, then began running towards her. "Hey wait!" he yelled, then muttered, "Crazy b----."

"I have food at my place… and water!" she said, walking faster than ever.

At the mention of food and water, Reno almost drooled, and was running behind her faster than ever, all thoughts of being tired and thirsty fled from his mind.

* * *

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks to all my reviewers! I don't think I can say names, but they know who they are! Please keep the reviews coming! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**One Disturbance After Another**

"I don't think you'll get some if you're slow…" Tifa's voice drifted as she went farther and farther away.

Reno sped after her like a lapdog. Elena and Rude looked at each other and shook their heads. Typical Reno.

"Hey do you have beer too!" he called as he tripped on a rock and fell face-first onto the grass.

Rude and Elena exchanged looks and Tifa snorted as she walked light-footedly away. "Cetra… talk about desperate…" Elena muttered to Rude, who chuckled and offered a hand to Reno.

Reno got up, grass bits stuck in his hair. Looking at the looks of his fellow companions, he said, "Shut up, I'm just hungry," and walked away.

Tifa turned around. "So… how was your visit with the ground? Good… I expect…"

_You are such a b---- sometimes, Tifa._ Reno thought, struggling to remove the grass from his hair.

-----

After fifteen long minutes, (no one had to be introduced to the ground) they finally stepping in front of Nibelheim. Four men stood at the front entrance, all of them with humongous muscles and none looking too smart. They were each armed with a different weapon.

"Tifa… what business do these people have within our town?" the one with a large mace asked. He looked like he couldn't have an I.Q. higher than a chimp.

Reno was surprised when the man spoke. _Wow_. He thought. _I didn't think he'd be able to process more than one word at a time!_

He imagined the man grunting orders at him and nearly sniggered. He kept a straight face. He'd be beaten to a pulp if any of them even had the slightest inkling that he was making fun of them.

"I found them roaming around in the woods. "I'm going to take them over to the jailhouse for examination," she said, she herself looked like she was going to burst into giggles.

The one man with the unusually large broadsword let out a mighty grunt of some sort. Finally, Reno realized that he was saying, "Mmmhhmmm." "Alright. They may enter," he said, sounding very much indeed like a pig.

As soon as the four were out of earshot, Reno burst into a fit of snickers. "You get those… guys for guards? They looked like they can't even pronounce a three syllable word!"

Tifa looked grim. "They are none too bright, but they're big enough to scare most people away. Anyways… they're pretty good at wielding their weapons."

"So do trolls," Reno said, as if that was that. "And their I.Q. isn't much higher than the average dog."

The long brown haired girl said nothing. She began walking towards her house.

People on the street looked their way. Curious of whom the three strangers were, and why they were following Tifa to her house. They all turned away, deciding that they were friends of hers.

Reno looked at the building they were approaching. It was a two-story house and it looked pretty roomy from the outside. The house was painted a light green. It wasn't over decorated like most of the other houses on the block.

"That's _your _house?" the red haired man asked. "I thought it'd be a tad more morbid."

"Thanks," Tifa said lightly and rummaged through her pockets, looking for the house keys.

She fished them out of her back pocket and inserted the key into the lock. She turned the doorknob and they heard a lock clink open, and she gave a turn on the doorknob. The door opened with a loud creak.

"That door's a bit er… creaky. You need to oil the hinges," Reno commented, which in turn caused Tifa to cast him a look.

She stepped over the threshold. "Well, your house isn't so perfect!" she snapped viciously. "On second thought… you don't even _have_ a house!"

Reno opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a brisk "Shut up, Reno" from both of his other companions. His mouth closed with a snap and was careful not to trip over the high threshold. He was so busy focusing on one foot that the other one tripped and he went tumbling through the doorway.

"_Nice_, Reno. Real smooth," Elena said, offering a hand.

"Gee thanks," he responded sarcastically, purposely missed her hand and "accidentally" shoving her.

"Cut it out, would you!" Tifa yelled, and looked forward.

Cloud stood by the stairs, watching them intently with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Hey Tifa… what's with the Turks?"

"Yeah well… I found them in the woods while I was on patrol. Could you give them a bite to eat or something? I need to get back to my shift at the bar." Tifa said.

"Hey! You never told me that you guys were _living_ together! Gee! You guy's sure got serious from the last I saw of ya!" Reno exclaimed, getting up off the floor.

The blonde man rolled his eyes. "We aren't together, Reno."

The red haired man snorted. "Hahaha! That's what they all say, but you know what? _I know_. A man and a woman living together under the same roof means something. And don't say that you're just friends because _I know _you two are closer than that! Cut the crap and just say that you're together!"

Tifa and Cloud exchanged weird looks. Elena sighed and covered her face. "Reno, you are such an idiot. You, Rude, and I have bunked under the same roof once… it didn't mean that any of us were together."

"Well that was three people!" Reno shot back.

"And _you_ thought the guards were stupid…" the blonde ex-Turk muttered, frustrated and turned away from him. Lifting her eyes to meet Tifa's and Cloud's, she added, "Don't mind him."

Cloud began walking towards the kitchen. "So explain to me why they're here?"

"It's because we quit being Turks. There's no point to it. We were hiding out in the wild… and for what? Nothing. We wanted to do something progressive with our lives for once. For most of our lives, we were just around… doing the dirty jobs. We don't want to do that anymore. We want to have normal lives…" the most silent ex-Turk finally spoke up. "Yeah… it sounds like a load of bulls---… but we really want to do something with our lives for once. I guess… we feel that we owe something to our community… after all we've done to it, you know?"

Cloud began rummaging around in the kitchen. Looking for any edible foods. He finally had the sense to look in the refrigerator and found some cake. He took it out and examined it. "What a touching speech. Since when did you all get so… 'feely' for the community? You should have said it to me back when you killed Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie and when you blew up the Sector 7 Tower! Tell me again… when Zack and I were in the back of that truck… when you shot at me…"

"Hey! That wasn't us! Elena wasn't even an initiate at the time! Rude and I were assigned another mission! It was Jaine and Goard were in the helicopter… and Tseng gave the freakin' order! Don't blame it on us! I did not even have a word in that!" the red haired man said indignantly. "Anyways… can you hurry up with the cake? I'm hungry ya know!"

The man looked at the cake back to the ex-Turks. He got a knife from a drawer and it glinted dangerously along with his blue eyes. "This knife is stainless steel. Slices through tomatoes like its nothing… and for this cake…" he sliced down, it cut through like a professional swimmer in water. "…It goes right through. I've tested it on an apple too…" he grabbed an apple from the marble-tiled counter and stabbed it brutally… and it went through the apple in a matter of seconds. "…I really like this knife and I've been _dying_ to try it on a human. Of course… that would be brutal… but I don't know… I just might use it on people I don't like…"

Reno gulped noisily, his adam's apple bobbed and he quickly looked at the cake. "Umm… can we get to the cake?"

Tifa hid a smile. Cloud had used that act on many people in her bar when they were getting too rowdy. It never failed to work. Every time there was a problem, all Tifa had to say was, "I'm going to get the manager…" people would immediately say that there was no problem and it was all just a misunderstanding.

Cloud's eyes twinkled. "You can have your cake now." He grabbed a plate and stuck the piece of cake on there. He handed it to Reno… along with a spoon.

Reno hungrily tore at it. "Man…"

"Where are your table manners? After all… you're eating like _that_ in front of two ladies? Tsk tsk…" Cloud stabbed down with the knife and it cut through the cake and it stopped right in front of Reno's face.

The ex-Turk whimpered. "Sorry…" he said, chewing and swallowing.

"Tifa… I think you should go down to the bar now," Cloud said, looking up.

The girl sighed and began shuffling away reluctantly, not wanting to miss the fun. But a job was a job. "Curse it…" she sighed and began walking out the front door.

As soon as Tifa was out the door, Cloud's PHS began to ring. Cloud sighed. _One disturbance after another… ugh… damn it… what is it now?_

He flipped it open. On the screen it said "REEVE". He sighed, pressed the button to talk, and lifted the phone to his ears. "What do you want, Reeve?" he said into the phone.

Reno lifted his head up. "It's Reeve?"

The man ignored the ex-Turk and listened. "Hey, Cloud," Reeve's voice came over the phone; there was a lot of white noise in the background. "I'm sorry about calling you now… but it's urgent—"

"Thing's have been urgent a lot lately, Reeve," Cloud sighed. "Tifa just managed to open a bar and I just got myself a job. Things are finally starting to get back to normal. Can't this urgent business wait?"

There was a long pause. "I'm afraid not, Cloud. You see…" he stopped. "Is there anyone else there?"

Cloud looked at the ex-Turks. Rude nodded, but mouthed 'don't say who' and began shuffling out. "Umm… yeah…"

"Tell them to get out or something. This is top secret."

Reno heard what Reeve had said and snorted. Cloud shot him a warning look and he stopped. The blonde man shooed them away, and they did so.

"Alright… I'm alone. Tell me what's up."

"Listen… Cloud… I'm not sure you'll believe this…"

"After seeing Sephiroth come back from the dead, I'm sure I can believe anything. So cut the crap and tell me, Reeve."

"Sorry. Two weeks ago, two men came to me, carrying a note from their employers. It threatened me if I didn't get out of my position. I've received plenty of these notes and naturally, I told them to get the hell out. Then from my sources, I learned that the men's employers were meeting. I had Cait Sith take up that mission and I learned quite a bit. These two men are planning something, and I'm sure it's not to save the fuzzy little animals of the world. They're trying to hire the Turks. It's all I got before they spotted Cait Sith and I had to make him self-destruct. Those men let me listen in to the entire conversation and they knew that Cait Sith was there the entire time." Reeve said, never hesitating.

Cloud thought about it for a while. "They wanted you to know. So that you'd be suspicious and come looking for them and then they can silence you. I suggest you stay put and try not to do anything stupid. And I have a question if you don't mind."

Reeve was beginning to sound nervous. "Err… what is your question?"

"Why are you telling me about this? What can I do?"

"Well… you're one of the most capable men I have ever met. And last of all, you were the leader of AVALANCHE. You could get them back together and you guys can look into this." Reeve sounded sorry. "Yeah I know you guys are busy… but I'm guessing that these men are up to no good…"

"Alright… I'll try telling the others," he ran his hand through his messy hair and slammed it down on the kitchen table, trying to keep his stress level down. Reeve was going to say something, but he cut him off. "Don't thank me, Reeve. It's up to the rest of AVALANCHE and I'm sure that they aren't all up for it. Barret promised Marlene that he would spend all the time he could with her after Meteor. And Cid… he's rebuilding a rocket, he wants to look beyond what he saw. Some company is funding him for the rocket. Yuffie… Godo's getting her ready to rule and has been forcing her to dance with every male noble that's alive. Red's been stuffing his face in books, hungry for information, trying to finish off Bugenhagen's works. I don't know what happened to Vincent, but I'm sure he's spending every minute at that waterfall where he saw Lucrecia."

Reeve was slow to reply. "I understand if you guys can't do it… and one more thing, Cloud… who are the people in your house? I know it's not Tifa."

Cloud's mouth went dry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The... errr... Pregnant-looking Man**

Tifa walked towards the building near her house and stopped. Right in the front of the building flashed words that read "Seventh Heaven". That sign was so familiar… too much like the bar she had owned back in Midgar. The thought of her old bar brought tears to her eyes.

The old Seventh Heaven had been in a small dingy building with no flashy lights. It had reeked of alcohol and the corners of the building were filled with cobwebs and sometimes, old urine.

She realized that she was staring at the door, and shook herself. The past was the past and there was no changing it. She grabbed the doorknob and turned it, wondering why it felt so damp. She pushed at the door and it opened without a creak. _At least Reno can't lecture me about the bar. _She thought, giving a small smile.

She looked around her bar. It looked just right. Small lights hung from the roof, giving the place a source of light, and to her own opinion, made the place look more dark and mysterious. Instead of the three tables back in the old bar, there were at least twenty round tables, fit to sit at least six people.

People were already sitting around at the tables, and some were sitting at the front counter. Many waiters and waitresses were walking around, waiting tables. A bartender stood at the front counter. When Tifa walked in, all of her employees gave her nod or a signal that told her they were good.

"How was your patrol?" the bartender asked, wiping away at a mug with a wet cloth. He was a stout man, with a potbelly from drinking too much. He had graying brown hair and he was balding. A small mustache was planted right under his nose. His name was Lysander, and to Tifa's opinion, it didn't suit him well. She always thought of a weedy little man when she heard that name.

Tifa gave a shrug. "I met a few people I never I expected I would ever see again."

"Friends?" he asked.

"No… people whose necks I would gladly wring," Tifa replied, taking up a dirty mug and a clean rag. She soaked it with water and put a dish detergent on it, and began wiping at the glass mug.

Lysander made a small noise in his throat. He got a clean mug and filled it up with ale. Then he guzzled half of the drink away without hesitation and let out a pleased sigh. "Ahh… I ought to try for something stronger… of course…" he chuckled. "I'll be too drunk to work. That won't be good… would it?" he was more talking to himself than anyone else.

The girl smiled to herself. Lysander was known to talk to himself. She tuned out his ramblings and instead was reciting a song on the piano to herself in her mind.

She sighed and wiped at the mug. It was going to be a long day.

-----

"Cloud?"

Cloud licked his dry lips and the moisture returned his mouth. "Yeah. I'm still here. Errr… I don't…"

"Now you're the one that needs to cut the crap," Reeve said cynically over the phone. "Tell me who's there with you."

"Tifa…" Cloud lied through his teeth.

Reeve gave a chuckle over the phone and Cloud knew that he had lied horribly. "You're the worst liar that I've ever met, Cloud. I know that Tifa's not there. This is her work shift. Who's there?"

Cloud paused. "Alright… remember Reno, Elena, and Rude?"

Reeve whistled. "And can you tell me why they're there?"

Reno grabbed the phone out of Cloud's hands. "Yo, Reeve. It's me Reno. Yeah… we're here alright. Ok… since Cloud doesn't have the nerves to tell you. I will. The three of us quit the Turks 'cause they're running down to s---. They never do jobs no more. We decided: Hell, this ain't for me and so we quit. Simple as that."

"You three must be careful. There are people looking to hire you. They want to reestablish a ShinRa type of deal."

"Well, give them a word to f--- off because I ain't doin' it. I'm not into the dirty jobs no more." The red haired man said before Cloud wrestled the phone back.

"Reeve… you still there?" Cloud didn't even wait for a response. "Ok good. I'm taking them down to the Nibel jailhouse… you're going to have call back later. I need to get them over there or people will think that I'm keeping a haven for criminals." As he said this, Reno made a noise of protest.

"Alright."

There was a beep and the call ended. Cloud returned the PHS to his pocket and looked at the three Turks. "Alright… let's go."

-----

Reno found himself looking at the ShinRa Mansion, remodeled so that It didn't look so dark and gloomy anymore. He couldn't remember when he last saw if… but of course… he probably was drunk.

A man stood at the front door, guarding it. He was a man of about six feet or so and he didn't look too big. _Doesn't look like those idiots guarding the front door. I guess you need people of higher intelligence to guard prisoners. _Reno thought.

The man looked from Cloud to Reno then to Elena and Rude. "What do you want?"

"Tifa found these back in the woods," Cloud said.

_What do they think we are? Twigs you can just pick up in the yard or something? _Reno thought infuriated that he referred to them as "these".

"Take in for questioning?"

Cloud nodded. The guard looked over at the three, squinting as if he were trying to see the very dirt on them. After scanning them a few times, he waved them in, not even bothering to take their weapons.

Reno expected the place to be dark and full of cobwebs, but as soon as the door opened, he saw a tidy and well-lighted place. There were three ways out each on the left and right sides of the room.

The place had definitely been remodeled. When they had entered, the three noticed Cloud's nostrils flare and his jaws clench as if he had just smelled the most unpleasant odor.

A man sat in the front desk, which was the only messy thing in the room. He sat down in the chair, feet up on the desk.

The man had a large middle. If he had been a woman, he could have passed for being pregnant. Although he had a large waist, strangely, the rest of him was completely normal. It appeared as though the rest of his body was not susceptible to getting fat.

On his desk, Rude saw that there were stacks of paper, strewn all over the place. Lying amidst the mess were a stapler, a roll of tape, some old crumbs, a box of donuts, and a large take-out drink you would get at a fast food restaurant.

The man took a long drink from the plastic straw that led up to the container and gave a loud, wet belch. Rude couldn't help but wrinkle up his face in disgust. "Whaddya want, Strife?"

From the man's manner, Rude could only guess that he was a rude man who believed that he had all the power. He was probably the type that didn't give a damn about those lower than him. He must have been enjoying the power that he bathed in.

'They're here for questioning," Cloud said, his tone becoming low and his voice filled with revulsion.

The man looked at the three. "Alright, alright. Sit yer a—es down on the chairs. Get outta here, Strife. You ain't here for questioning."

Cloud made a very rude spitting noise and walked out. The man looked up at the three ex-Turks, who were still standing. "I said sit yer a—es down. Why you still standin'? Wut… you wanna stand for the entire time? When I offer ya somethin', ya take it, got it? This is how I'm gon be for the entire time."

The three immediately sat. _Yeah I'll sit, you fat bastard, as long as you don't eat me. Or sit on me with your pregnant a--. _Reno thought angrily.

They were silent. The only noise was the man chewing on the donuts with his mouth open, which was very disgusting. Reno couldn't help but watch as the bits of the chocolate donut got mashed to a pulp. Then they became soaked with saliva and it became soft pieces of…

"So…" the man looked at each of them, his mouth closing with a snap. Reno jerked back into attention. "From wut yer wearin'… I'm guessin' that ya'll are Turks or were Turks."

All of them didn't say anything. They weren't sure whether to say yes or no, for fear of being thrown in jail. If they said "yes", then they gave the man an excuse to arrest them. If they said "no", he'd figure that they were lying and they would meet the same fate.

Reno decided to change the subject. "Let's introduce ourselves. I'd hate to tell about my job to a stranger."

It was a wrong move. Reno almost smacked himself. If they said their names, he'd know they were Turks and if they lied…

He had gotten them caught in the same trap again. _Nice, Reno._ He thought to himself. _Real_ _smart._

The man probably realized this too, for he smiled sweetly and said. "My name is Edic. You may call me Constable Edic. Now what are your names?"

Reno faltered. He was out of ideas. Rude quickly stepped in. "Our names are Rue, Reno, and Elena. We're ex-Turks," He grinned innocently.

Elena stared at Rude. In her whole career as a Turk, she had never seen him make such a stupid move and smile so big.

"Ahh… the infamous Reno, Rude, and Elena! Huh… Turks," the man clearly showed his disdain.

"Why of course it's us! We're just _ex-Turks_," Elena said lightly.

"And how do _I_ know you're ex-Turks? You're still dressed like a Turk. You still have your weapons that you used as a Turk. You still reek of Turk. How do I know you are not… _spies_?" the last few words came out with pieces of donut and spit.

Reno wiped his face and shot back with, "And how do _we_ know that _you're_ a constable? Why, when I first entered, I mistook you for a pregnant woman!" the man turned dark red with fury. "So of course… first glances are like first impressions… they don't mean a thing… although… I might be wrong about it this time…"

"Turk, I take that as a personal affront!" the constable turned into a shade of purple as he got up and spat pieces of donut in their faces. He slammed his hands onto the table.

"Constable, we also take what _you_ said as a personal affront. We are no longer Turks and we have severed all ties with them. Calling us Turks… is very offensive," Rude said like a businessman and calmly wiped away the spit like his friends.

The made an angry noise in his throat. He looked horrible and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Suddenly, there was a chirping noise. The man leaned back, breathing hard. He took out his PHS and flicked it open.

"Hello, sir," he muttered.

Reno strained his ears to hear the conversation, but he could only catch snitches of it.

"… I want them now, Edic…"

Did the man want Edic to bring someone? It was pretty weird.

"Yes, sir."

Reno wondered, who in the nine hells was powerful enough to make the constable respect him?

"… they are necessary… you know that my partner needs them…"

Now it was getting suspicious. What did this man's partner need? What can a mere constable of a small town get a man who sounded so important?

"Of course, sir."

"… I cannot find them through the…"

Through the? Through the what?

"But that's not possible sir!"

The man must be looking for certain people through some sort of special system. This system must be very advanced and it was almost impossible for it not to find everyone.

"…told you can't find them… need them for special…"

"I… I will try, sir."

"…when you find them tell me… and make sure they're suited for the jobs ahead…"

Jobs… now those jobs sounded quite like the ones that he used to do when he was a Turk…

"I will do my best, sir."

"…jobs not like ShinRa's…"

His eyes opened wide and he sat up stiffly. Who did the ShinRa hire? It was too much like the Turks…

He strained his ears to hear more, but the constable hung up the phone. He watched him intently, filled with suspicion.

"You may go. I've had enough," Edic said, rubbing his temples.

The three stayed still, looking at each other, not believing their luck. "Are you serious?" Elena asked.

The constable breathed hard. "I told you I don't ask things twice. And I already asked you once… I SAID GET OUT!"

The three were out the door in a matter of seconds. Cloud was waiting patiently for them on the front steps.

"How'd it go?" Cloud asked.

"We've got let off… I think," Rude replied.

Reno stayed silent, thinking hard. First that call from Reeve… and then the man with the constable. When Reeve told them that two mysterious men were planning to start another empire like ShinRa and they were looking for the Turks.

Now the man didn't directly say Turks… but he did mention that the jobs would be very unlike the ones in ShinRa. The ShinRa hired nobody but the Turks for their "jobs"… and they only hired others when it something different… like front out murder.

The Turks did their jobs quietly, through assassination, through others… but it was never front out murder.

It did fit. He sighed. What the hell did he think he was doing? Playing detective? That was sure idiotic. Anyways… what was the point. It was just a coincidence that the constable knew a man who was looking for people like the Turks and Reeve… found out about men who were hiring… Turks.

"Wow… you sure are quiet right now, Reno!" Cloud commented. "Aren't you supposed to be glad that you got off? Or do you have some morbid wish to stay in jail and rot there?"

Reno shook his head, shaken out of his thoughts. "No… no… it's nothing… want a drink… that's all…"

"Yeah… come on… off to Tifa's bar."

* * *

Wow... seems that I've run dry of new ideas for the story. I haven't been able to write for a long time. Writer's block is really really evil. Thanks to Ryu the Youkai and xCR1MS0N-T3ARS for reviewing for the last chapter! 


	6. Chapter 6 & 7

Wow... probably the slowest update ever... two months! Sorry guys!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**To Both Fear and Like**

He fingered his white gold watch. It gleamed in the dim light and he smiled. It had once been his father's.

It was around six o'clock and it was getting dark. He looked up at his room. It was the same one he had had since he was he was a youngster. It was just redecorated. It had once been filled with pictures of the rock stars he had admired and a poster of the table of elements. There were still marks across the white walls where they had been torn down. The pleasure of sitting in his own room ever since he was a toddler.

H inhaled. Dust came and went up his nostrils, clinging onto the very hairs in them. He coughed a few times, sneezed, and was very unsatisfied. The maid needed to clean the house better or she would…

He laughed softly and thought of what would happen if the maid didn't heed his warnings. He looked up at the dusty blinds and stood up. He closed them and watched as the room went into darkness, the way he liked it.

Ahh, the irony. To both like one thing and have it be your worst fear. Looking towards the door, the only source of light, he closed it.

He sighed and sat down onto the chair he was in, near his desk, which was still peppered with the things he had as a child. Looking into the dark, his mind relaxed. Slowly, he closed his eyes and leaned back… engulfed in his memories of the past…

_He proudly pulled on his backpack and his mother handed him his small red lunch pail. "First day of school, honey. Nervous?" she asked._

_He nodded his small head. His mother laughed and kissed his forehead. Moisture formed there and he wiped it away. "Get in the car and I'll drive you to school, ok?"_

"_Ok!" he replied obediently, his voice small and a child's. Seeing his father, he felt excited and proud. "Daddy! Today's my first day of school!" _

_His father, ah yes… the drunken brute, had a beer bottle in his hand. He took a swig and stumbled. Clearly, he was drunk. "Wuzzat you want ya lil' bastard?" Another swig and the man's drunk eyes turned to face his mother's. "Dun bother takin' the lil' ass ter school, he dun need it. He'll jus' end up like this… dun get his hopes up… education… bah…"_

_He looked at his mother, whose eyes turned to fire. "He need shis education! Don't you dare say those things in front of—"_

_His father suddenly turned angry. His hands lifted up and it crashed down on his mother's face. She fell backwards, crying out. "You should go in the car now," she said, looking at him._

_He dashed out towards the car and heard his father yell, "Don't order me around, b----!"_

He laughed quietly in the night. "Good one, old man. Good one." His hand searched for the jar on his table and he found it. His father's ashes when he had burned him alive. It had been quite fun when his old man went up in flames. He wanted to take another walk down memory lane so he closed his eyes again.

_It was the day to bring their parents, but he did not bring either of them. Every other kid had at least brought one parent._

_He sat at his desk alone while other students proudly showed their parents their achievements and what they had done in school. He looked at his own work. His work above all was better than every other kid's. While they were still drawing cute bunny rabbits or flowers… he had been drawing landscapes. _

_While other kids strived to memorize the alphabet, he strived to memorize square roots._

_And that was why he was hated. He seemed to be the only one whose parents didn't love him. His mother had grown distant from him. It seemed that his father traumatized her._

_He once hugged her, and she just stared at him with tear-filled eyes. Then she wrenched herself from him. "Don't touch me…" she said with hate in her voice. "You're of his blood! I hate him!"_

_And he had cried for the entire day. The only thing in the world that really loved him was gone. There was nothing left for him in this world. Only hate._

_In bed, he had wiped away the remainder of his tears. He had finally decided that he would be independent and made an oath. "There never be anybody in my life. I _will_ treat them the way they have treated me. I _will_ not be warm to them or interact with them! I _will_ be alone!" _

He opened his eyes. The oath had been kept. He had been independent ever since. Even now. Everyone were his slaves… though they though they were his "friends." He sighed. They were fools, all fools who were downcast like him… and they had stayed down.

Only he had stood up against the weight pushing against him. He, out of all his servants, out of all those weak fools, only he had not succumbed. He was a mere grain of sand, pushing against a tidal wave.

Suddenly, his phone began vibrating his pocket. He grabbed the PHS and took it out. He slowly flipped it open. "Yes?"

"It's something important."

He stood up, smiling in the dark. "You found them?"

"I think I have an idea where they are."

"Good."

-----

The door to the bar suddenly opened and Tifa raised her head. She was ready to say, "Welcome to the Seventh Heaven. What will you have? Breakfast special? A drink or two perhaps?"

When she saw Reno, Cloud, Elena, and Rude step through the door, she stopped herself. "Want something to eat or drink?"

"Yeah… a beer for all of us," Reno said.

Tifa looked at Cloud. "And you?"

He paused a moment, as if waiting. Finally, he made up his mind. "Nothing for me, Teef. I'm fine."

She nodded and turned to go to get the beers, but Cloud's hand clamped onto her shoulder. She stopped.

"Wait, Tifa. I need to talk to you."

She sensed that something was wrong because Cloud's hand stiffened on her shoulder. She winced from the force that he was squeezing and she turned around slowly. "Ok… sure."

The blonde man was aware of her pain and he quickly released her shoulder. Their eyes met briefly and then the link was broken. She immediately found the floor extremely interesting, and she walked out of the restaurant door with him.

She folded her arms and even though she looked at him, didn't meet his eyes. "What is it, Cloud?" She drew a picture of a fish in the dirt with the tip of her shoes.

The dirt she kicked up was swept away by the wind. He opened his mouth to speak, but they were suddenly thrown backwards

A blast came from within Tifa's restaurant and the glass windows of the building burst apart, sending glass into the ground and into the air. A spout of fire shot out, its tongues licking the air angrily.

"Oh s---!" Tifa cursed, and watched as the fire spread. She covered her face to protect it from the heat. "What the hell happened!"

Cloud didn't answer. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

-----

"Ya know… I think Cloud and Tifa are looking mighty cute together," Reno commented, after a moment's pause, he added. "I wish Cloud hadn't taken her out… I want my beer."

"That's what you need to stop doing, Reno, drinking! It totally f---s up your brai—"

Suddenly, a blast emitted from the kitchen and the glass windows shattered, spraying the three with glass. They were thrown from their seats and they landed on the ground groaning. Those who weren't near the kitchen met with the same fate… those who were near the kitchen… weren't quite as lucky. Some were ripped apart by the blast. Shreds of their body parts and blood was sprayed into the air.

People who were still surviving had quickly fled the area. Some others, who were still alive, but unable to move were stuck there, screaming in pain as they slowly bled to death.

Reno grabbed the piece of glass that had embedded itself in the left part of his forehead. He gave a small groan of pain when he pulled it out and felt fresh warm blood trickle into his eye. He wiped it away with the sleeve of his blue tuxedo and he slowly got up, thoroughly shaken.

Elena had already gotten up. She was nursing the right part of her body and she slowly limped towards him. He stopped her with a shake of his head and he went over to examine Rude.

His friend wasn't quite as lucky as the other two. He had been closest to the kitchen, and therefore, took more damage. Glass was embedded in his hands and some parts of his face (though luckily, nowhere near the eyes, nose, or mouth.) Reno slipped his arms under his large friends armpit and heaved upwards.

Rude groaned as Reno slowly lifted him up. "You okay, Rude?" Reno asked.

"Fine…" he grunted as he put a hand on a table to steady himself. He began working on taking out the bits of glass that were stuck in him. "You go check on the rest of the restaurant… look for anyone still alive…"

Reno looked at his companions and nodded. "You guys get out of here. I'm in the best condition… find Cloud and Tifa and see if they're okay."

He looked back towards the kitchen and found that the fire from the explosion was growing. He cursed and ran towards the fire, using his sleeve to protect his face from getting burned. He found a man whose legs were blown off by the blast and slowly lifted him up and away from the fire.

"Oh thank you man…" the guy said, clamping his hands over his bleeding legs.

"You won't last long like this," Reno said. "I'm going to look for others… hold on as long as you can. Yell my name if you feel like you're getting weak."

The man nodded, pale from the blood loss. Again, the ex-Turk dove towards the fire and looked around for any survivors. "HEY! ANYONE THERE!"

"H…help… please…"

Reno turned his head towards the direction of the sound and found that it was within the kitchen… within the burning flames. "F---IN' S---!" he screamed, the fire was too big for him to jump over.

A cutting scream cut through the air. The man was going to be burned alive. The skin on his hands and face were beginning to blister.

Beads of sweat from the heat dripped down Reno's face. What the hell was he supposed to do? _Would there be enough time for me to run out of here and go to find a source of water? WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE CETRA DAMNED FIREFIGHTERS!_

"Wait here…" he said, turned, and ran.

-----

Rude and Elena burst out of the door, Rude with blood dripping down his face and hands and Elena clutching her side.

"Are you two alright?" Tifa asked, her eyes wide. "What happened?"

Rude turned to her, blood flecking in the air and landing in the dirt, mixing crimson with brown. "I dunno…" he was slightly out of breath. "S-s-something blew up in there…"

Cloud examined the two. "Where the hell is Reno!" he demanded.

Elena looked back to the burning restaurant. "H-he's still in there, trying to find people who are still alive and trying to get them out," looking at the looks on the others faces, she added, "He insisted on it and he was in the best shape out of us."

"S---!" Cloud cursed and looked at Tifa. "You three stay here… I'm going to go and find that damn constable and get him to send a team of firefighters here. Wait for Reno to come out…"

Tifa watched as he turned to run and cried out, "Cloud!" He turned around. "Be careful… please."

He nodded and replied, "You be careful too."

**Chapter 7**

**Black Doom**

Reeve looked at the new Cait Sith design that he had made. He had designed this Cait to be more graceful and feline-like. He also added a special coating of metal, in which the toy cat could become any color suited for the environment around it so that it would be harder to spot.

Damnation… those men hadn't just destroyed a mere robot; they had also destroyed a friend. After President Rufus had fallen, he, being the highest ranked that survived Sephiroth's rage, had taken over. During that time, he had deal with phonies who claimed that they were related to the Shinras, sign a million-paged documents that allowed him to shut off the Mako Reactors, and pay the families of the SOLDIERs that had died from the Weapons attacks. The only thing that comforted him and helped him out was Cait Sith. Most of those Shinra soldiers were only yes men and if not, thick headed dolts that didn't know how to do anything but kill.

"_Would you answer this question for me?"_

"_Yessir."_

_He decided to have some fun. "Ok… do you know how to do basic algebra and solving equations?"_

_The man seemed confused, and uncertainly answered, "Yessir."_

"_Ok… 2x-43x-2… what's the answer to that?" he asked, trying hard not to giggle. Junior high school kids could solve this… but since this guy gave up junior high to be a Shinra soldier…_

…_well the results would just be too funny. "Uhhhh… request for paper and a pencil, sir."_

_He looked at the man, surprised. Well… out of the few soldiers he tested this on, this was probably the first one to ask for paper and pencil. Maybe this one would just figure it out. If he could… he'd make him his personal accountant—ok so maybe not his personal accountant, but he sure would promote him. "Granted," he said and set a piece of paper and a No. 2 pencil down on his desk._

_The man stared at the blank paper for a long time, as if trying hard to remember something from twenty years ago. _Maybe he had learned it twenty years ago._ Reeve thought, amused._

_The soldier slowly reached for the pencil and then stared at that too. After what felt like two hours, Reeve finally lost his patience and said, "Continue soldier. I don't see what's so amusing about a pencil. I pick one up every single day… but of course… you being the fighting type… you choose the sword over the pen huh?"_

_The man paled. "Uhh… sorry sir," he immediately began writing down scribbles._

_Then Reeve realized that they weren't scribbles at all but _numbers Damn,_ he thought. _This guy has a worse hand than a five-year-old!

_He heard the man muttering slowly. "…subtract 2x from both sides and get… 1x… and so –41x-2… and then you minus the –2 from both sides…"_

ADD! YOU ADD THE –2! _Reeve screamed in his mind. _

"…_so you get –61x, divide by one so x-6!" the man glanced up hopefully. "Is that correct sir?"_

"_Uhh… yeah… uhh… close enough." Reeve said, trying his best to smile…_

He was suddenly shaken out of his thoughts by the sudden chirp of the PHS on the desk. He picked it up and looked at the number on the PHS's little monitor. Usually, it identified who the caller was and where the caller was calling from. This time, it flashed "Unidentified." He decided to take some precautions and pressed a few buttons. His phone would record his conversation and record it. When it chirped again, he slowly pressed the "talk" button. "Who the hell are you and how the hell did you reach this number?"

The unknown caller laughed softly, his voice unnaturally deep. Reeve realized that the man was using a voice-distorter device and cursed silently. "Don't worry, _Reeve_--" Reeve began panicking, he could understand how he had gotten his name… but his own number?

"WHO THE HELL IS THIS!" he shouted into the phone.

The man went on as if he had never even heard the question. "I'd like to inform you of an explosion that occurred in Nibelheim." Reeve's heart stopped beating… an explosion… in Nibelheim?

"How the hell do you know this!"

The man laughed, Reeve couldn't be sure if it was a real laugh or not, as the voice-distorter made it harsh and guttural. "Let's just say that… I'm well informed… and let's stick with that. I don't really see the point of recording our conversation; you'll never be able to track me down with my voice."

With that, the line went dead. Reeve stared at his PHS for a long time, and then dialed his secretary. When she picked up, he requested for her to check on Nibelheim's current status. After drumming his fingers for a while and counting the dots on his ceiling, she called back. She had replied that Nibelheim was in good condition.

Reeve sighed relief and thanked her profusely. Suddenly, his PHS chirped again, and this time, it identified the caller as Cloud. "Hello! Cloud!" he could hear shouting and crackling in the background. "What the hell is up over there in Nibelheim!"

"Something's blown up at Tifa's restaurant." Reeve's heart skipped a beat. "Tifa, Reno, Rude, Elena, and I are all fine, but there are people trapped in her restaurant. I'm trying to get the damn firefighters! Can you call Nibelheim and have someone send a crew of firefighters?"

Reeve didn't speak for a long time. What the hell did the secretary mean that nothing was going on! "O… ok… I'll do everything I can… but something's going on here. Don't worry about it now. Stay safe, Cloud." He hung up and called the number to the constable's office in Nibelheim.

He waited the phone to ring a few times, and finally, a voice came over the line. "Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Constable Edic?" Reeve asked.

"Yeah, that's me. Who the hell is this?"

Reeve disliked the way the man talked to him. "This is Reeve Zhang. I am currently the… owner of Shinra's business. I have heard reports that Nibelheim had just experienced an explosion. I request you to send firefighters there immediately."

The man didn't speak. There was an uneasy silence and then the man said. "There is no fire here. What you heard was false. Have a good day, Mr. Zhang." The man hung up on him.

He looked at his phone in frustration and threw it down onto the desk. He had been hung up on once too many. He called his secretary and requested a helicopter to take him to Nibelheim immediately.

-----

Reno helped up the man who he had rescued. He didn't mind that the man had his legs gruesomely burned off and that his skin could be easily peeled off. He didn't even mind that the man was bleeding all over his already dirty tuxedo. He lifted him the same way he would cradle a baby and ran out the door.

He saw the relief on Elena, Rude, and Tifa's face as he came out of the door. "Get a damn crew of firefighter and a medic!" he looked around, feeling that something was missing. Then he realized that he didn't see the normal bushel of spiky blonde hair. "Where's Cloud?"

"He went off to get firefighters." Tifa replied and looked at the man. "How is he?"

Reno noticed that the man wasn't conscious. "He's still alive… I think he'll probably go into shock. We need a medic here… dammit! Where the hell are they when you need them the most! They're trained to save lives… but they only show up when you need to get a damn cat out of a tree! There's still another man in there! I think he was in the kitchen before the explosion…"

Tifa's eyes widened in sudden realization. "Lysander! He's still trapped in there! We need to get him out!"

"Co-worker?" Rude asked, and Tifa nodded.

"What the hell is taking Cloud?" Elena looked around. "This _is_ an emergency. There's no time for him to take a potty-break!"

"Yeah… and what if he's taking a 'potty-break?'" Tifa replied, not paying attention to her words.

Reno didn't know if it was the intensity of the situation… or if he was just going mad, but he started cracking up. Everyone watched as he guffawed helplessly, body trembling with laughter. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as he clutched to his sides.

"Holy Cetra… Reno… are you alright?" Elena looked at him quizzically. "Hey… it's not that funny…"

"Hell yes…" Reno gasped, finally stopping in the rounds of laughter. "Ok… I'm done…" Wiping away the tears that had leaked out. Sighing, he peered around and said, "Damn… where is Cloud?"

-----

As much as he hated to, Cloud headed for the jailhouse. Damn it. The constable should have been notified already that Tifa's restaurant was on fire. Unless… of course he decided not to do anything about it and sit his lazy ass on the chair, eating his damn donuts.

_F--- you, Edic._ He thought and ran up to the front of the… ex-Shinra Mansion. He took a deep breath to calm his breathing and fast-beating heart. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door. Inside, the constable looked at him.

"Well… if it isn't Mr. Strife." The constable said his name mockingly. "Come in and sit down."

"Shut up, Edic. I don't have time for this." the constable's eyebrows flew up at his tone. "Tifa's restaurants on fire and I need you to order a team of firefighters over there…"

The constable toyed with a donut that was in his hands. "Yes… I've heard of Ms. Lockhart's fiery little problem."

Cloud's temper rose. "SO WHY THE F--- DIDN'T YOU TAKE CARE OF IT!" he bellowed.

The constable shrugged. "Oh… I was thinking about it… but then I decided not to. There's no need to overreact. Ms. Lockhart would just have to start over again… wouldn't she? Its no big deal. I'm sure she could do it again… anyways… ashes are good for the dirt. Good for growing pl—"

Cloud charged forward, leaned over the desk, and hauled up the constable by the collar. The constable's eyes went wide with fear. "THERE ARE PEOPLE TRAPPED IN THE RESTAURANT! THEY'RE GOING TO DIE! HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT TIFA'S TO START OVER AGAIN! HOW DARE YOU F---IN' SAY THAT! SHE WORKED HARD TO OPEN THAT RESTAURANT… AND YOU…"

"She should've insured the restaurant," the constable said, his voice trying to keep calm, but a tremble in his voice betrayed him. "And anyways… what's wrong with reducing the surplus population a bit?"

"THE ONLY SURPLUS POPULATION ARE PEOPLE LIKE _YOU_!" Cloud hurled the constable back into his chair.

Edic flopped backwards and lost his balance. His feet flew up and kicked his table, knocking it and everything on it, over. "Guards!" he called out, struggling to his feet. Two ex-SOLDIERs walked into the room and seized Cloud.

"Let me go, dammit! There's a damn building on fire! People are going to die! Do you know that!" Cloud screamed at the two. They're faces showed no emotion. "You're SOLDIERs! You're meant to _protect_ the people!" He noticed that on their Aurora Armlets, their Reflect materia glowed. He cursed silently, knowing that now, he could not attack them with magic.

Constable Edic laughed. "Mr. Strife… they're _ex-_SOLDIERs. They work for _me_ now. Yes… the firefighters asked me permission to save them. I repressed them… and they disobeyed me. I had them thrown in jail. So… Mr. Strife… I've learned that you've kept fugitives in your home. You_ gave them shelter!_"

"But you let them go…"

"Where are they, Strife? I want them!"

"Find them. They're no longer of _my_ concern." Cloud said smartly, and was rewarded by a blow to the head from one of the ex-SOLDIERs.

Edic smiled… evilly. "Well… if that's the case…" he gave a hand motion to the two ex-SOLDIERs one pinned him to the ground and the other began throwing his fist into his stomach… and if "accidentally" missing… into his diaphragm.

He bit his lips to keep from screaming in pain. "This is assault dammit… I'm gonna report you… you corrupted sonofa—"

"There's no need for cursing, Mr. Strife. If you cooperate… then there will be no damage done to you… but of course… you're _not_ cooperating. I'm the law here, Mr. Strife, and I do what I please. Everyone follows _me_." Edic's lips spread wider into an even uglier smile. "And as for reporting me… Mr. Strife… you won't be around to do it. I am guessing though… that those three Turks… are somewhere near that fire. Hmm? Tell me and rather than… unfortunately _dying_ through… er… physical questioning… you… die a rather painless death."

Cloud spat at Edic. It missed and rather… landed at the constable's feet. Edic stared at it for a while and began to laugh. "Why so compassionate… Mr. Strife? After all… these are just some _Turks_… and they even delayed you in saving the Planet. What changed your mind?"

"_Nothing_ changed my mind! To me, they were always people who were raised the wrong way and went to the wrong side!"

Edic looked at him, feigning surprise. "People brought up the wrong way… like _you_? Why _of course_ you would think that way… a clone of Sephiroth! Of course you were mistreated! After all… just a weak failure clone. And… what do you mean by the _wrong_ side, Mr. Strife? Why would Shinra's side _be_ the _wrong_ side? Is that what the half-breed Cetra told you? That President Shinra was _wrong_ to help the people and give them energy? Even those materia on your arms are from _him_."

Cloud coughed and felt warm blood streaming from his lips. "It would've been better if he hadn't created them at all… then we wouldn't have had such devastating losses in the Great War."

"Mr. Strife… the Great War would have happened anyways. We would have fought with guns and swords. Our homes would be powered by gas and oil, both which are explosive."

"…Gas and oil do not harm the Planet. And swords and guns cannot cause the widespread damage like an advanced spell with materia… without mako… there would be no SOLDIERs… and without SOLDIERs… no Sephiroth…"

"…And without Sephiroth… that Cetra wouldn't have died. And you would have never left Nibelheim. You would have never been lied to. You would have known the truth. Mr. Valentine wouldn't be mutilated. Mr. Wallace would still have his arm and his wife. Marlene's father, Dyne would still be alive. Zack would be alive. Oh yes… I know it all, Mr. Strife. All of who had been affected by mako. And… the Weapons wouldn't have been roused… Shinra wouldn't have been dead. We wouldn't be here." Edic walked towards Cloud, and from inside one of his pant's front pockets, he drew out something that glinted.

Cloud's eyes widened in horror. "It can't be! It was destroyed with Sephiroth!"

Edic slowly waved the piece of Black Materia in his face. "This isn't just used to call down Meteor Mr. Strife." He slowly set a piece on his hands. It remained motionless for a while, and then slowly, it sank into Edic's hand, mixing skin with black.

Cloud noticed that the constable had only about 1/16 of the original Black Materia. _He can't call Meteor with that small of a piece._

Slowly, Edic flexed his hands and sighed. "The Black Materia contains much power. When mastered, this small piece can overpower the combined power of AVALANCHE's materia. He clenched his hand into a fist and pulses of energy waves wrapped around the man's hands.

Cloud leaned backwards. He could feel the hum of the raw, black energy of the Black Materia. It writhed in Edic's hand. Cloud immediately knew that it did not recognize Edic as its master. It had no master. It would control Edic and then destroy him, the same way it had done with Sephiroth.

"Lights out, Mr. Strife." Edic said, smiling wickedly, and threw the black ball of energy at Cloud's face.

* * *

Umm... I will try to update faster... but then... my writer's block's not helping... but don't worry! I've written a chapter ahead! 


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